Serving Hawaii County

HONOLULU, Hawaii – Same sex marriage is now legal in the state of Hawaii, after Governor Neil Abercrombie signed Senate Bill 1 House Draft 1 into law on Wednesday. A private bill signing ceremony – by invitation only – was held at the Hawaii Convention Center and livestreamed by the Office of the Governor. The […]

HONOLULU, Hawaii – State Senator Gil Kahele (D), representing the Hilo area of Hawaii Island, speaks in support of the same sex marriage bill (SB1) before voting to pass the measure during a special legislative session. As a part of his floor speech, Sen. Kahele talks about the unique place homosexuality has in Native Hawaiian […]

Stay tuned: we are putting together a short video highlighting what the Hawaii Island representatives had to say before the vote (all voted ‘aye’ with the exception of Rep. Clift Tsuji). This video will be uploaded to this page later today. HONOLULU, Hawaii – Supporters of Senate Bill 1 (House Draft 1) erupted into celebration […]

HILO, Hawaii – A group of East Hawaii’s spiritual leaders gathered at the Hilo YMCA on Thursday, to discuss their strategic approach to the ongoing special legislative session at the state Capitol, where lawmakers are on the verge of passing a bill that they stand opposed to; the same sex marriage law. The faith-based leaders […]

HONOLULU, Hawaii – Of the 57 hours of testimony this past week at the Hawaii State Capitol on Senate Bill 1, which if passed would recognize marriages between individuals of the same gender in the Aloha State, one video in particular has exploded in popularity on the internet. Dean Hamer, who has a PhD from Harvard […]

HONOLULU, Hawaii – The Joint House Judiciary and Finance Committees passed Senate Bill 1 – House Draft 1 – relating to equal rights, out of committee. All it took was five days and nearly 57 hours of testimony. In a close 18 to 12 vote (8-to-5 in the Judiciary Committee and 10-to-7 in Finance), the […]

HONOLULU, Hawaii – The Hawaii State House of Representatives says the Joint Committees on Judiciary and Finance will continue with the marathon public hearing on Senate Bill 1 today (Tuesday, Nov. 5) starting at 10:30 a.m. at the Hawaii State Capitol Auditorium. The proposed SB 1 “recognizes marriages between individuals of the same sex and […]

HONOLULU – Collette Machado, the Chairwoman of the Office of Hawaiian Affairs Board of Trustees, has been hospitalized after a reported stroke on Friday night. Machado collapsed at the state Capitol shortly after providing testimony in opposition to Senate Bill 1 – the same sex marriage bill – during Day Two of the marathon public […]

HONOLULU, Hawaii – The marathon public hearing before Hawaii’s House Committees on Judiciary and Finance will continue on Monday, the legislature announced Saturday evening, before the day’s testimony had even concluded. Thousands have already spoken out on Senate Bill 1, which “recognizes marriages between individuals of the same sex and extends to same-sex couples the […]

UPDATE (3:35 p.m.) Senator Clayton Hee, Chair of the Senate Committee on Judiciary and Labor, issued a statement in a media release shortly after the vote to pass the bill legalizing same sex marriage in Hawaii. “The Senate’s passage of this bill marks an historic step towards equality, fairness, and justice,” said Senator Hee. “I […]